Fate's Inexplicable Decisions
by lilyerich
Summary: Why? Why must flowers bloom in the spring and wilt in the fall? Why do we require water to live but drown and die when that same water is in excess? Asking me why I must love you is searching for an explanation that doesn't exist. We were brought together by fate for me to love you. If you must, ask fate all your questions, you troublesome woman. As for me, I love you. That's it.
1. At the Beginning with You

Hello, all! This is actually a repost. I used to write a lot years ago and stopped only because I got really busy. I totally forgot I even wrote this until literally today. I accidentally found it while I was rummaging through files. When I read the two chapters that I had, I started to really miss writing. I'm currently in medical school, and they don't really give us a lot of opportunities to write creatively, so I haven't written anything in years. When I read this, I began to really miss my old writing style, so I'm hoping to try to get back into writing by picking this story back up. I deleted the old post because I wanted to change some things around! If anyone even remembers this at all, haha. Anyway, bear with me as my writing may not be top notch, but know that I really am trying!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

 _ **Prologue: At the Beginning with You**_

* * *

As the sun shined down on the swings, slides, and gravel, a boy with snow white hair and small dog ears atop his head raced across the playground. A few feet behind him, a girl with hair black as night followed excitedly.

"Why do you keep chasing me?"

"Because you won't stop running! I only want a hug!"

He never did stop running. However, she caught him every single time. Every time, there was a hug, the boy would blush, and once, there was even a feather light kiss that scandalized both children into avoiding each other for a week. Considering the heightened agility—as well as other abilities—and heightened senses one of his kind are born with, one might say it was quite peculiar she was always able to catch him without fail.

A woman giggled as she watched her energetic little girl hug the life out of her best friend's young son.

"Izayoi, he really is the sweetest boy, letting her catch him like that all the time," she smiled.

"Oh, Makiko, you can't possibly believe he's only doing it for her! That boy loves her attention. As much as Inuyasha likes to pretend he's bothered, I don't know what he'd do with himself if Kagome were to ever stop!" Izayoi laughed. Though funny, both mothers didn't doubt a single word of the statement. While friends since birth, for some reason, for the past three years, each meeting between the two children always resulted in the traditional chase; from Kindergarten to 2nd grade, Kagome never once tried to hide her crush on the hanyou, Inuyasha. The adults surrounding them knew the children's feelings—whether hidden or revealed—very well. From Inuyasha's feigned annoyance to Kagome's very public affection, it was very clear to all that watched that something was blooming alongside the flowers of the spring.

* * *

"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Higurashi. We tried everything—"

"Don't you DARE finish that practiced sentence! Don't you _fucking_ say that to me with that _goddamn fucking emotionless tone_!" Makiko screeched to the surgeon as she viciously threw her purse to side and to the ground. "Do you even understand the gravity of what you're saying! You're looking at me to tell me my husband fucking _died_ because of some asshole drunk driver. _That's what you're telling me,_ yet it doesn't seem like you give a shit!" Izayoi sobbed as she gently, but firmly, wrapped her arms around her best friend's shaking form. "Let me go, Izayoi!" As Makiko flailed, Izayoi held her steady, offering the comfort and stability for which Makiko was not yet ready to ask. "Fuck you, Izayoi, and let me go! I don't need your hugs, I need my husband!" Endless tears coursed down the women's faces; one mixed with anger, another's mixed with pity.

"Sweetheart—Makiko, look at me. We need to get you home now." Izayoi solemnly peered over at her husband. Though losing one of their very best friends hurt, they couldn't imagine the pain of losing each other. They had to remind Makiko of what she had left.

"Makiko," Inutaisho said as he gently grasped his friend's face, "Kagome and Souta are waiting for you."

At the mention of her beloved children, Makiko screamed and crumbled to the ground, ready to drown in her own tears. "How…" she started quietly, pausing to catch her breath as her heart and lungs fought to maintain function. "How will I tell them?" When she slowly lifted her head, the great Inutaisho nearly cried along with her. "How will I tell them that their father's dead?"

Her broken whisper silenced the room.

* * *

"Makiko, you don't have to do this you know…Inutaisho and I, we can help you. You don't have to leave!" Izayoi begged her to understand, to stay and forget about moving America.

Makiko sadly smiled at her two best friends. "I know you would, but I don't want to have to ask you."

"Damn it, woman!" Inutaisho practically screamed. "Can't you put your damn pride aside and let us help you! You're our best friend, why is it so wrong that we want to help you!"

Placing both of her hands atop theirs, Makiko willed them to understand. "If I were to ask for your help now, I'd ask for it for the rest of my life. For the sake of my children, and for the sake of myself, I need to learn how to survive alone with them. I need to provide for them by myself. I have to build a new life without—" her throat caught at the memory of her lost husband, "without Makoto. And the best opportunity I have at doing that is that position at that amazing children's hospital! I love both of you. You know how much I love you and your family, but I _need_ to prove to myself that I can do this. I _have_ to prove to myself that I can do this."

* * *

A knocking at her window caused little Kagome to run across her bedroom. Her eyes peered out into the darkness, not even a little surprised that her half demon friend, positioned on the ground beneath her second story window with pebbles in his hand, was waiting to be granted permission for entrance. The second her window was unlatched, he jumped into her bedroom. When she instinctively wrapped her small arms around him, she was slightly surprised to feel his arms hug her in return. At the fragile age of 7, Inuyasha knew the gravity of the moment.

They were saying good-bye.

"One last sleep over?" Kagome asked solemnly with a small smile gracing her usually bright visage.

Inuyasha smiled, grasped her hand, and pulled her behind him throughout her—practically his as well—home towards the living room. Letting her hand go only to place their favorite movie into the DVD player, he joined her on the large plush couch and settled in comfortably.

Halfway into the movie, Inuyasha felt that his best friend had fallen asleep. Maneuvering himself slightly away from her in order to sit up fully, he reached into his pocket to retrieve the simple, yet beautiful, diamond pendant necklace he begged his parents to get for him, to give to her. Carefully clasping the necklace around her neck, he smiled, proud that he was so stealthy.

A few minutes later, he fell asleep right next to her.

* * *

"I'll really miss you…and this is my new favorite necklace in the whole wide wide wide wide wide wide world! I'll never take it off! I promise!"

As the hanyou blushed in the airport, Kagome gave him the best hug she'd ever given in her short life. His 10 year old brother Sesshomaru smirked at the tomato impression his brother had learned to perfect over the years.

"Don't forget me, Inuyasha! And don't replace me, either! That isn't allowed!"

"Keh!" Jeez, could he be anymore red? Sesshomaru was definitely going to make fun of him later. "Don't be so dumb, Kagome…no one could ever be as annoying as you!" She just smiled. She believed him about as far as she could throw him.

"Best friends forever. No matter what you say." She whispered.

"Come now, Kagome. It's time, sweetheart." Makiko walked over to the children, holding baby Souta in one arm and wiping her tears away with the other. "Good-bye, Inuyasha. Always be good, alright? We all love you very much and will always think about you and your family." Kissing him on the forehead and bidding her last farewells to her very best friends and their two sons, she grasped Kagome's hand.

"Buh-bye, Uncle Tai and Aunty Iz! I love you! Don't let him forget me, Sesshomaru! And don't _ever_ forget what I said Inuyasha! "

A smiling, waving, crying Higurashi family boarded the plane.

As the Takahashi family of four watched the plane take off, little Inuyasha glued his face to the window.

"…I'll miss you, too…"

* * *

Thank you to anyone that read! :)

With love,  
lilyerich


	2. 17 Years

Thank you so much for the kind reviews as well as favorites and such! I hope you enjoy the second installment!

 _ **17 Years**_

* * *

"Here's to us! We just finished fucking MEDICAL SCHOOL! Hell yeah!" Cheers erupted within the crowded bar as alcohol glasses were raised high in the air. The woman on top of the table smiled from ear to ear and pointed to the back of the room. "And here's to that bitch in the back! Kagome Higurashi, our beautiful and brilliant leader! #1 not only in rank, but in our hearts!" Applause and even more cheers took over the bar. "Let's get _wasted_ , ladies and gents! Congratulations to you, to me, to her…let tonight be something we'll never _ever_ remember!"

23 year-old Kagome had stopped talking to the bartender in order to shake her head and smile at her friend's antics. She watched as Emily climbed down off the table with the help of one of the many enraptured men who gladly offered to hold her hand during her descent. After gifting the man with a flirty kiss on the cheek, Emily ran straight back to Kagome to wrap her martini-free arm around Kagome's neck. "Oh, my God, I just love you so muuuuch!"

Kagome laughed and smirked at her friend. "I can tell. Thanks for the shout out, by the way. Very much appreciated," she teased.

"I just wanted everyone to know how absolutely am-ahh-zing my beautiful friend is! I had to do something to thank you for letting me use all your study guides! You're just lucky I didn't remind everyone how young you still are, you baby doc." After a wink, Emily suddenly put both arms lifted at her sides in a placating gesture towards Kagome as her face became serious. "Okay, okay, okay. Real talk right now. When do you leave?"

Kagome became slightly solemn at the reminder that she would soon need to part with her closest friend. "I leave late tomorrow night and will get there sometime in the morning," she informed, almost apologetically.

"…does he know?"

Kagome's eyes reflexively rolled at the reminder. "Who cares?" she scoffed. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he doesn't, or at least doesn't care, considering he's moving to Kyoto the day I land in Tokyo. Just because I absolutely love the rest of his family, under no circumstances do I expect, or want, to spend time with that jerk Inuyasha."

Until Kagome was about 18, she and Inuyasha continued their close relationship; they talked at least once a week. Kagome remained fluent in her native Japanese tongue while she simultaneously helped Inuyasha learn and practice his English. They updated each other on every little detail of their lives. Then, suddenly, Inuyasha stopped calling Kagome. At first, she didn't mind being the only one who called anymore. However, it eventually turned into Inuyasha not answering at all. After about a year of the hurtful treatment, she demanded an answer.

* * *

 _"Hello?"_

 _"Hi, Aunty Iz," Kagome greeted happily,"how's my favorite aunt?"_

 _Izayoi laughed, always loving when any Higurashi called. "Oh, she is just fabulous, dear. Aging a little day by day, but gracefully!" She paused, "at least, I like to think so!" and then laughed once more._

 _"Oh, my goodness, I'm sure you're as youthful as you were 500 years ago! You should focus on thanking Uncle Tai instead of thinking you're getting old!" Kagome knew that not a word of her statement was false. Being a demon's mate came with many benefits, one being a nearly eternal lifetime. She knew, without a doubt, that Izayoi looked the same as she did the last time they saw each other, almost a decade prior._

 _"Well, thank you very much, dear. I knew you were my favorite 'almost-niece' for some reason!"_

 _Giggling softly, Kagome decided to get to the point. "As much as I love just inflating your ego, I was actually wondering if I could talk to Inuyasha, please?"_

 _"Of course, Kagome. Let me just tell him you're on the pho—"_

 _"No, wait! Please don't tell him it's me! I, uh, I just want to surprise him." Laughing obliviously, Izayoi agreed and beckoned Inuyasha to the phone, claiming it was a friend but she hadn't asked for their name._

 _"Hello?"_

 _"Who do you think you are?"_

 _Inuyasha froze immediately. "Kagome?"_

 _Ignoring his question, she began to ask all of the questions that had painfully built up within her chest over the past year. "Inuyasha…did I do something? Is there a reason you aren't talking to me? And don't even try to say that you aren't ignoring me. Every call, voicemail; every email, no reply; every message, comment, and/or wall-post over freaking Facebook doesn't even get acknowledged! And I never use Facebook, but after your complete dismissal of me, Inuyasha, I didn't know how else to reach you! You made me call your damn house and ask your mother to hide who I was so I could fool you into talking to me!"_

 _"…Kagome…I…"_

 _"Please, Inuyasha," she begged, "please just tell me what I did. I don't understand…help me understand why you've avoided me like the plague for the past year. I thought we were fine…"_

 _"Kagome…I just don't think we should really talk that much anymore…"_

* * *

Inuyasha bolted upright in his bed gasping for air. _Damn it…haven't dreamt about that in a while_ , he thought as he sighed into the darkness and ran his hand through his mussed hair. Not that it was a surprise that he was still dreaming of her after five years of absolutely no communication.

 _She never was one to go down quietly_ , he smiled fondly as he thought about the woman he's loved all of his life. However, once he realized he was about to, once again, take a sad trip down memory lane, he angrily pounded his fist on the bed beside him and lay down once more.

How could he not be over her yet? Five years later and the wench still invaded his mind. Wasn't that the point of all that he did? All the pain he put both of them through, wasn't that so he could get over his lifetime crush? Didn't she understand? Didn't everyone—his parents, his brother, her mom, her brother— _everyone_ understand that the reason he stopped talking to her, the reason he had to stop talking to her, was because there was no hope for them to ever be together?

She was in America and she was staying in America, while he was always destined to become the co-CEO-alongside his brother-of his family's hospital. Why keep putting himself through all the misery of hearing her, but never seeing her; hearing her, but never touching her, if he knew that was all that could ever be?

 _Damn it…_ he had a flight to catch in a few hours. He didn't have time to mope about something that already ended—if it ever really started—forever ago.

* * *

She took in her first giant gulp of Japanese air in 17 years. It felt amazing. As she practically ran through the tunnel connecting the plane to the airport building, she couldn't help but smile at the fact that she had finally returned. _God, I must seriously look so stupid right now_ , she laughed to herself, thinking about the giant smile she wore as she strolled through the airport to retrieve her luggage.

As she made her way towards the appropriate conveyor belt, she felt as if someone was searching for her. Throughout her entire walk, she felt as though someone was trailing not too far behind. However, every time she turned around, there was never a suspicious or interested face she saw more than once. Officially diagnosing herself with paranoia, she dismissed her imaginary follower and quickly retrieved her luggage.

As she exited the airport and found a cab to take her to the dealership from where she pre-ordered her new car, she still couldn't shake the feeling that—even as she was getting into the cab—someone was desperately trying to find her.

* * *

He couldn't do it. Later, when his best friend Miroku asks him _why_ he couldn't get on the plane, Inuyasha can't come up with a good answer. _I don't think I'll ever have a good answer. Damn…Kikyo's going to be pissed as all hell._ He and his long time girlfriend, Kikyo Himura, had decided to finally move in together. She found her perfect dream job in Kyoto. She was already waiting for him at their new apartment.

 _I can't go…why can't I fucking go?_ Sighing in defeat, he phoned his girlfriend and told him that he had a few more things he really had to deal with before he finally joined her.

"Take your time, Inuyasha," she started kindly, "I'm sure I can hold the fort down for a while longer." He could hear the smirk in her voice. "How long will it take again?"

"I'm sorry…but can you give me a month?" Why did he go with such a long period of time? Wouldn't a few days be enough to sort out…whatever the hell this was? _I should've went with a week or something, jeez!_

"Okay, that's fine, I guess…I'll miss you though! Hurry and join me as soon as possible!" She ended the conversation by blowing him a kiss through the phone. After the call ended, he turned around to make his way back out of the airport. He had some really good thinking to do about what exactly happened here.

That's when he smelled it.

Lavender and vanilla, with a hint of strawberries—there was only one person in the world that smelled like that and the fact that he hadn't smelled that scent in 17 years didn't even slightly wipe it from his memories. Her scent was unforgettable.

Granted, the only memory he had of it was when it was still a child's scent. This scent was different because it was that of a grown woman's, but there's no way another person could possibly have a scent so similar to hers. Once he pinpointed the exact direction the scent went, he ran to follow. Too many feet ahead of him, he saw the source of scent moving through the crowd. Her midnight black, middle-back length hair flowed behind her as she walked swiftly to her destination.

He hurriedly picked up his pace. If she would only turn and show her face…

As she turned a corner, he cursed his luck. He needed to catch up with her right away, or else he may never completely know whether or not it was truly Kagome. _If this crowd would just fucking part!_ When he finally rounded the same corner, he could no longer spot her. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on that heavenly scent. His head snapped towards the exit.

He barely saw her get into a cab and ride away, all the while keeping her head turned the other direction.

* * *

After swiftly retrieving her new car—a graduation gift from her beautiful mother—she drove straight to the Takahashi mansion, where her Uncle Tai, Aunty Iz, and Sesshomaru were expecting her. Using the miko powers her mother had always made sure were in tip top shape, she created a barrier around her car as she drove up to the house in order to mask the sound and smell. Then, once she was parked discreetly on their massive drive way at the side of their house, she masked her scent. Slowly walking up to the house, she knocked on the door and stepped off to the side, where the peep hole and side windows couldn't see her.

"I see you haven't aged much since we last saw you," a deep voice behind her teased, causing her to jump.

Placing a hand to her chest, she playfully smacked him on the shoulder. "Oh, my God, Sess! You could've killed me!" He chuckled as the door flew wide open to reveal his parents.

"What are you two doing just talking on our porch without even thinking of inviting us!" Izayoi teasingly yelled as she wrapped an arm around each person as Inutaisho smirked behind her. "Goodness, come in, come in!" As soon as both stepped happily through the threshold and the door was shut, Izayoi grasped Kagome's face within her hands and placed a kiss on each cheek. "Oh, my dear dear child, how much we've missed you all these years! How are you? How was the flight? You have your car, I presume? Do you start residency tomorrow? Or in a few days? I'm assuming it's in a few days considering you would be a little jet lagged if it started tomorrow. Oh! Have you seen your new apartment? We had it all decorated for you already so you don't have t—"

"Iz, my love, breathe," Inutaisho teased his wife as he wrapped his hulking body around Kagome to welcome her home before shaking his son's hand. "How about we feed these kids while we talk to them before you talk her all out, hm?" When she gently smacked his shoulder, he quickly grasped the offending arm and drew her into his side in order to lead her to the formal dining room. "The food's in here. While we eat, Kagome, you must catch us up on absolutely everything. You must leave nothing out, my dear child!"

* * *

A few hours after the incident at the airport, Inuyasha figured he had better tell his family about his decision to stay another month, while attempting to avoid the confusing question of why. After stopping by his parents' favorite restaurant and picking up some food, he set out for his parents' home: his childhood home. All the while, he couldn't get the mysterious girl out of his head.

 _She smelled just like Kagome used to…only, different…Keh!_ He scoffed at himself. _That makes a whole lot of sense, dumbass. God, why am I even thinking about this? She's in fucking America. Get that through your skull. She's. In. America._ Though the mantra kept replaying in his head, he still couldn't deny what his nose was telling him.

Finally arriving at the house, he saw a different car parked alongside Sesshomaru's in the driveway. After parking on Sesshomaru's other side, he got out and scented the air to see if he knew the person.

 _…no scent?_ The lack of scent outside perplexed him beyond belief. Carrying the food, he went to the porch and raised his free hand to knock when the door was whipped open to reveal his family showing their smiling guest out. Everyone froze—much like his heart did—when they saw him.

 _"Kagome?"_


End file.
